New Silicone Cookware Appeals to Busy Home Cooks
By Lorrie Baumann
Tara Steffen, National Marketing & Sales Manager for Lékué, says that she uses the silicone cookware products made by her company in her home because they really do help her save time while she puts healthy meals on the table for her family. “I am our consumer,” she says. “My husband and I both work full-time. We have a 7-year old son, and we have swim two nights a week. We have dance one night a week. We have soccer one night a week.”
That busy schedule of extra-curricular activities means that she’s frequently rushing to get a meal on the table before she has to dash out on chauffeur duty. It’s a problem that many busy families solve with the McDonald’s drive-through or a grab-and-go meal from the grocery store. Steffen takes a different route that she feels is a healthier alternative. “We have a Lékué pasta maker that makes pasta in 10 minutes. It save the time of boiling the water on the stovetop, and you don’t have to watch it to make sure that it doesn’t boil over,” she says. “You just stick it in the microwave for 10 to 12 minutes, and you can use whole wheat pasta, organic pasta, whatever. With that, you can add a fresh fruit and a fresh vegetable, and you have a pretty healthy dinner in about 10 minutes.
She also turns frequently to her Lékué rice cooker. “You can add some grilled chicken or any chicken that’s left over, and that takes about 10 to 15 minutes as well and you don’t have to worry about it boiling over and you don’t have to stand there and watch a pot,” she says.
For a snack after soccer practice, Steffen is enthusiastic about the brand-new Lékué Popcorn Maker, which is being launched at this year’s International Home + Housewares Show. “It’s fresh popcorn – it’s not the packaged microwave popcorn that has all the preservatives and chemicals. You don’t have to use oil or butter or anything, and they can eat out of the bowl, she says. “Those are my three favorite items that I use the most. The other item I like is the new oatmeal cooker. You can make a hot breakfast for three in 10 or 15 minutes, and it’s not just a regular cereal on a cold day.”
Today, more than 90 percent of American households own a microwave oven, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with countertop models accounting for about three quarters of those and over-the-range models, popular among consumers with smaller kitchens, accounting for the rest. Although industry figures reported by Mintel indicate that microwave oven sales have been flat or falling over the past decade, the manufacturer of Magic Chef microwave ovens says that this is the year that we can expect to see renewed enthusiasm for an appliance that fits well into small urban kitchens and meets consumer demand for products that contribute to a healthy lifestyle, according to Kristin Affatato, Magic Chef’s Director of Marketing and Brand Management. MC Appliances, Magic Chef’s parent company, will be devoting significant space in its IH+HS booth to launch new microwave oven models this year. “Everybody’s on the go, from busy moms to those who are working who have only five to 10 minutes before they leave the house. We’re looking to help these consumers prepare fresh foods quickly,” Affatato said. “The microwave category is seeing a reinvigoration because it’s the fastest way to cook something. It’s also one of the healthiest ways to cook, a fact which many consumers are not aware of.”
